[[{“value”:”
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Wonder Woman #19!A virtue that practically defines Wonder Woman has led to one of the most devastating things to happen in her life. Fans knew that Wonder Woman’s conflict with the Sovereign wouldn’t end happily, but few could have expected how things would actually shake out.
The Sovereign brought hell down on Diana by making enemies out of the Amazons and killing Steve Trevor. In turn, Wonder Woman exposed the secret king to the public and brought down his empire. Now the two face off in a final confrontation, and Wonder Woman makes a choice based on a principle she holds dear that also costs her dearly.
Wonder Woman Refuses to Kill Out of Love…And It Gets Her Killed
Sparring the Sovereign Leads to Wonder Woman’s Ultimate Downfall
In Wonder Woman #19 by Tom King, Daniel Sampere, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, the Sovereign has neared the end of his story about how Diana defeated him and tries to end it quickly. But Trinity urges him to tell all the details, binding him in the Lasso of Truth. The Sovereign gives in and takes Trinity back to the day when Wonder Woman came for him in the White House, having defeated every army and soldier he sent her way. Wonder Woman enters the White House, where the Sovereign surrenders immediately.
Wonder Woman, however, isn’t in the mood to hear his pleas. She calls upon her mother and summons a dagger made from her fury. She orders the Sovereign to remove his jacket and shirt and once he does, she hands him the dagger, ordering him to write one true thing on his chest to make up for the lies he forced on America. The Sovereign carves the word ‘liar’ onto his chest, but as he tells Trinity, Wonder Woman spared the Sovereign from death, telling him that she chooses love instead of violence.
…Wonder Woman spared the Sovereign from death, telling him that she chooses love…
However, Wonder Woman’s decision to not take the Sovereign’s life ultimately comes back on her. Trinity and the Sovereign’s conversation in the future reveals that a ‘Wonder War’ is raging, championed by the Amazon Lyssa, daughter of Wonder Woman’s rival Emelie (and presumably the Sovereign). Lyssa has eliminated almost every other Amazon in the Sovereign’s name, including Diana’s allies Donna, Cassie, and Yara. Lyssa has also claimed Wonder Woman’s life, stabbing her through the heart with a similar dagger that Diana made the Sovereign use (albeit with a red, white, and blue hilt).
Would Death Have Changed the Amazons’ Future for the Better?
Anyone who knows anything about Wonder Woman knows that love is her guiding light. Wonder Woman loves everyone, she fights out of love, and in her darkest moments, it’s love that helps her find her way back. Diana clung to that principle to keep herself from killing the Sovereign, despite everything he’s done to her, refusing to let him bring her down to his level. Unfortunately, leaving him alive helped pave the way for a future that ultimately ends in Wonder Woman’s death.
Granted, the exact details of Wonder Woman’s final moments haven’t been revealed. But judging by the colors of the dagger’s handle, Lyssa seems to have channeled the Sovereign’s (or rather, his lineage’s) fury in order to create it. If Diana had not stuck to her principles and killed the Sovereign, the chances are that Lyssa would not have been influenced by him to seek revenge on Wonder Woman and the Amazons (assuming that’s what happened). But is a Wonder Woman who goes against her greatest value a Wonder Woman at all?
…what fans love about Diana is her strength, not just her physical prowess, but her emotional fortitude.
Many would say that Diana was well within her rights to end the Sovereign’s life for the pain he inflicted on her and the damage he’s done to the world. But what fans love about Diana is her strength, not just her physical prowess, but her emotional fortitude. It can’t have been easy to choose love when faced with a man who nearly took everything from her. But she did and that’s what makes her Wonder Woman. Yes, it ultimately costs Diana her life, but if there’s a hero willing to die for love, it’s Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman’s Death Shows How Principled She Truly Is
How Often Does a Hero Die For Something They Truly Believe In?
Wonder Woman is smart enough to know that leaving someone as dangerous as the Sovereign alive was a risk. But if this current volume has proved anything, it’s that Diana is willing to stand by her principles, even if it means grave consequences for her. Heroes often say they stand for something, but rarely do readers see them die for what they believe in. So never question whether Wonder Woman means it when she says she chooses love.
Wonder Woman #19 is available now from DC Comics.
“}]] How Wonder Woman’s greatest virtue bit her. Read More